Rock formations

The great thing about Rock in this 21st century is that it has truly evolved to the point where a variety of musical sounds and genres can all be legitimately subsumed under the category Rock. Back in the ’60s and ’70s, bands like The Beatles and the Monkees were clearly Pop, while Led Zeppelin, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, etc. fell under Rock. But over the years, the cross fertilization and liberal "borrowing" of influences have broadened the concept of Rock. Here are two new EMI releases that while undeniably will be labeled Rock, exhibit how Rock today can come in many forms, shapes and sizes.

Arctic Monkeys: Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not

Every year, we are bombarded with publicity hyping this or that band as the next Big Thing, or as the coolest band since the Rolling Stones. It is difficult to live up to the hype and spin generated by the promotional junkies of the major recording studios. In the end, it’s only proving it on the road, and staying consistent over the long haul, that catapults a band to that kind of rarefied status – U2 being a prime example. More often, so many that were touted as "contenders" quickly self-destructed or lost steam – who fresh Rock music convert still remembers Blur and Oasis? If you follow music publications like NME (New Musical Express) in the UK, the Arctic Monkeys are this year’s bet for Rock Immortality. In fairness to the band, it is just out to gig, record and "do its thing," and damn the prognostications and labeling.

Having first made its reputation as a touring band, the trick with an act like the Arctic Monkeys is how much of that charisma and interactive magic can really be captured on the CD. These frigid simians have prided themselves on being a band you really move and dance to – and yes, this is not your slick, R&B dance routines, but more the frenzied pogo-ing that Punk spawned. It’s high energy, rock-dance beats and astute socially trenchant lyrics all rolled into one package. I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor has the wonderful line of "No Montagues and Capulets/ Just banging tunes and DJ sets."

There’s a noticeable funk, hip-hop influence at work here, but transposed to a rock idiom (if you can believe that). Always guitar-driven, the lead vocalist, Alex Turner, at times seems to be singing through a megaphone, ruminating on nicotine, alcohol and coffee-fueled late nights. Riot Van is about underage drinking and cop-baiting, but ending up in a beating. And on A Certain Romance, Turner takes a dig at the relationship between music and the new technology, "There’s only music so that’s there’s new ringtones."

Sheffield England’s Arctic Monkeys may not be the Second (or Third) Coming of The Beatles; but in an era when hype so often overtakes the product, it’s great to see an excellent bar band rise above the heap and give notice that they have arrived.

Placebo: Meds

Listening to the new CD of UK band Placebo, I was reminded of REM and how if REM had "died" in the early ’90s and been reincarnated for the new millennium, they would be Placebo! While actually formed in the mid-’90s, Placebo truly sounds like a REM progression. The lead singer does remind me of Michael Stipe (and no surprise, but Stipe actually guests as vocalist on one track), but with music that’s more moody and "post-industrial" than REM’s alternative/folk rock sensibilities.

There were earlier Placebo albums that had more than a passing nod to the electronica trend, but on this latest outing, there’s a stark and (for the band) minimalist ambiance. But despite the stripped down quality of this CD’s music, the essence of Placebo remains a constant. One of the more successful bands of the last 10 years, but generally operating under the radar of high-profile music publications, Placebo fans are already hailing this album as one of the classics of this band’s discography.

The title track, Meds, Space Monkey and especially Follow the Cops Back Home and Pierrot the Clown are my current favorite tracks. Placebo is not the kind of band you may take to at first listen. They grow on you, and you appreciate the texture they put into their songs and arranging. It’s like discovering an REM that’s operating within a more straightforward rock idiom. There are snatches of dabbling in electronica haunting the music; but by and large, it’s Rock, with what seems to be like, a lot of Industrial Engineering/Art School influence.